Mark Holland, from the Society for Acute Medicine, said the “NHS in England is now performing at an all-time low” and this was predicted months ago.

He said: “We again call on the Secretary of State for Health to acknowledge the crisis we now face. Urgent action is needed. This is not a ‘winter’ crisis. This is a blizzard in an eternal winter of the NHS. This situation we have reached was entirely predictable.”

Chris Moulton, vice president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said of the NHS Digital data: “These figures demonstrate that we don’t have enough acute hospital beds or enough social care for a growing and ageing population.

A&E trolley waits worst since target was introduced in 2004. Caused by Tory cuts to local govt social care. #ToryFail#NHSCrisis

“These elderly people are on trolleys, waiting for a bed. These figures are from the time people arrive at A&E and show just how bad things are.”

Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said: “It is extremely worrying to see that older people are being left to wait for such unacceptably long periods of time on trolleys in our hospitals. This is yet another clear signal that hospitals are struggling to cope with the crisis engulfing our NHS this winter.”

Prime Minister Theresa May’s spokeswoman said the Government was delivering the funding requested by the NHS in its five-year plan.

She added: “It is not unusual to see particular pressures on the NHS during a winter period.”